Layout device



April 29, 1952 R. c. HICKERNELL 2,594,648

LAYOUT DEVICE 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed April 17, 1950 INVENTOR RA L'PH C. H/C/fER/VELL ATTORNEY April 1952 R. c. HICKERNELL 2,594,648

LAYOUT DEVICE Filed April 17, 1950 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR RALPH C. H/C/(ERNELL BY bmajw ATTORNEY April 1952 R. c. HICKERNELL LAYOUT DEVICE 3 Sheets-Sheet 5 Filed April 17, 1950 INVENTOR RALPH C. fi/CKERNELL g'wq H I ATTORNEY Patented Apr. 29, 1952 LAYOUT DEVICE Ralph C. Hickernell, Meadville, Pa., assignor to Kopper Kraft Industries, Inc., Meadville, Pa., a corporation of Pennsylvania Application April 17, 1950, Serial No. 156,283

4 Claims. 1

This invention relates to layout devices for producing patterns of sheet material and, more particularly, for laying out sheet metal forms or transition pieces, and the method therefor.

A typical transition piece is the tubular connection between a pipe of one contour and another pipe of another contour. The pipes may be of different size, or offset with different centers, in all of which instances the sheet metal blank for which is generally of an irregular shape hitherto predictable only by complex trigonometry and applied geometry. Obviously, tanks, casings, or other enclosures of irregular shape present the same problems of predicting the shape and size of a sheet metal blank needed for producing the enclosure, and in determining exactly where such a blank should be bent. The primary object now is to provide an adjustable layout device applicable to a scale drawing, in elevation or section, of the desiredcomplete form. After proper adjustment of the layout device in accordance with certain basic characteristics of the desired form, it can then be used for laying out and marking all the cuts, bends, and edges necessary for producing the necessary piece or pieces, or patterns therefor, from which the desired form can be bent. The device can also be used without a scale drawing if the length and end profiles of the desired piece are known.

More particularly, it is intended now to provide a layout device extensibly adjustable to a certain critical dimension based on (but not necessarily corresponding exactly to) the lengthwise dimension of the desired furnished piece. Furthermore, it is herein proposed to provide angularly adjustable end pieces on the extensible device for retaining half profiles of the ends of the desired form so that the half profiles, when retained in the layout device at the properly adjusted distance and angle with respect to one another, can be placed down on a work sheet, used for marking one part of the pattern, and then rolled one-half turn in one direction for marking the next adjacent parts of the pattern. Ordinarily, such patterns are made in two pieces to avoid wastage of metal and, thus, duplication of the above procedure produces the markings necessary for cutting the two" halves of the transition piece pattern. Obviously, full-profile pieces may be used if a complete pattern is desired or if one of the profiles is of irregular or nonsymmetrical cross-section.

Another object of the invention is to provide a method for laying out sheet material patterns wherein profile pieces representing certain significant edge characteristics of the ends of a tubular or cylindrical structure are supported in relative positions corresponding to the positions of the ends they represent, and are then rolled along their edges so that a pattern can be drawn along the points of contact of the edges with the pattern sheet. In this connection it is intended to provide for the production of a replica of the significant features of the desired product, and then to roll the replica along as a marking guide, somewhat as if it were possible to open up the .desired finished form and use its edges for marking the pattern.

These and other objects will be apparent from the following specification and drawings, in which:

Fig. 1 is a plan View of the layout device;

Fig. 2 is an elevation of the device;

Fig. 3 is an end view;

Fig. 4 is a drawing, in elevation, of a typical transition piece;

Fig. 5 is an end elevation of the transition piece shown in Fig. 4;

Fig. 6 is a plan view of the half profile pieces utilized in laying out the transition piece shown in Figs. 4 and 5;

Fig. 7 is a plan view showing the first step in laying out the pattern for the transition piece shown in Figs. 4 and 5;

Fig. 8 is a plan view of the device at the start of the second step in laying out the pattern of the transition piece; and,

Fig. 9 is an end elevation of the assembly at the start of the second step illustrated in Fig. 8.

Referring now to the drawings in which like reference numerals denote similar elements, the layout device best shown in Figs. 1, 2 and 3 comprises an elongate body 2 which, in this embodiment, is constituted by a hollow rectangular rod on which are slidably and adjustably mounted end plates 4 and 5, respectively. Since the end plates and their mountings are identical, only one will be described. End plate 4 is preferably cast of aluminum or other suitably rigid material in the shape of an L and having avertical sector 8 lying at right angles to a horizontal base sector It. Base sector it has an arcuate slot I2, protractor readings l3, and a pivot hole It through an outwardly extending tongue [5. A slide 16 fitting over body 2 carries near one end a rivet l8 fitting loosely through pivot hole l4 so that horizontal base sector It may pivot angularly around rivet it. Through the other end of slide it projects a bolt 26 threaded through a fixed nut 22 so as to be engageable with and disengageable from body 2 upon tightening, or loosening, respectively, of

bolt 20. It is apparent that end plate t may slide along the length of elongate body 2 and then be clamped in the desired longitudinal position by tightening bolt 2!].

End plate 4 is adjustably held in desired angular position with respect to body 2 by means of a second slide 28 on body 2 and a bolt and wing nut assembly 39, 32. As best seen in Figs. 1 and 2, bolt 30 is afiixed on one side of slide 28 and extends through arcuate slot l2 so that upon tightening of wing nut 32 a suitable clamp washer 33 clamps horizontal sector l tightly against slide 28. The assembly thus far described, is somewhat remindful, in certain characteristics, of adjustable bevels or T squares. Attention is directed, however, to a pair of projecting hook-like fingers 35 projecting outwardly from vertical sector 8. Additionally, vertical sector 8 has an outwardly projecting stud 38 on which is threaded a wing nut 40. Offset feet 4| extend downwardly from vertical sector 8 so as to support the assembly on a level surface, the oiisets being provided for reasons apparent hereinafter.

The operation of the layout device can best be understood from the description of its use in the solution of a typical problem which, in this instance, is to lay out the pattern TP from which may be cut the pieces for forming the transition piece I connecting two pipes O, P respectively. Figs. 4 and represent the typical drawings and dimensions given for layout. In this instance it will be assumed that pipe 0 is of circular cross section with 10-inch diameter; pipe P is of square cross section with 18-inch sides; their central axes are parallel but offset from one another; their lower sides lie along a straight line; and transition piece T is to be 21% inches long. Heretofore, by a complicated series of geometric and trigonometric steps, the drawing was usually broken down to a number of circles, rectangles, triangles and extensions and erections thereof used finally to synthesize a complete pattern.

From the end elevation of transition piece T (Fig. 5) two half-profile workpieces p0 and pP are drawn and cut as shown in Fig. 6. Workpiece p0 represents one-half of the diameter of the end of the 10-inch round pipe 0 and therefore is 19 inches in extreme width along straight edge at with an arcuate edge E0 of 5-inch radius. workpiece pP, representing one-half of the cross section of the end of 18-inch square pipe P is a rectangle 9 inches wide and 18 inches high with corners A, B, C, D. Suitable slots Y, Y are cut midway in workpieces to fit past studs 38.

In the first step of laying out pattern TP, wing nut 46 is loosened on stud 38 and workpiece p? is clamped on the vertical sector 6 by resting its edge AD on hook fingers 34, and then passing slot Y past bolt 38. Wing nut 40 is then tightened so as to hold the workpiece tightly engaged on end plate 4. Workpiece :00 is then similarly clamped on end plate 6 with its diametric edge 03 resting on fingers 34. Next, on a large flat sheet Z, the diagram M showing transition piece T in plan view is drawn. As will be seen by comparing Figs. 4, 7, and 8, plan M has two parallel lines o, p representing the extreme cross sectional dimensions 0, p of pipes O and P. Lines 0, p are connected rectilinearly on one side by a line Z representing the straight length side 2' of the transition piece and on the other side by a line k representing the diagonal k of transition piece T.

Next, all wing nuts 24 and 32 are loosened and the layout device is placed on the drawing figure M with the edge AD of workpiece pP lying over line 19 of drawing M and with the diametric edge (Z of half-profile p0, lying over line 0. The oifset of feet 4| compensates for the thickness of the workpiece so that, by placing the outer edges of feet 4| along the lines of the drawing, proper juxtaposition of the workpiece is obtained. Wing nuts 24 and 32 are then tightened so that all of the parts of the layout device are relatively affixed as shown in Fig. 7. The drawing figure M has thus served its purposes and is thereafter no longer necessarily used in the production of pattern TP unless it is desired to I use line Z as a line of departure.

Pattern TP is produced by tipping up the assembly from the position shown in Fig. 7 to the position shown in Figs. 8 and 9 whereupon the line AB of rectangular half-profile piece pP lies fiat along drawing paper Z and one end of arcuate edge E0 of half round profile piece p0 also engages drawing sheet Z. A straight line should then be drawn between points A and B; line Z already runs between point A and the point at which arcuate edge E0 of half-round profile piece :20 engages paper Z. Then the layout assembly is rolled to the left so as to roll the edges of the assembly on drawing sheet Z, markings being made on drawing sheet Z at the points of engagement by the half-profile pieces. The resultant figure, in the present assembly, would be somewhat as indicated by the dash lines in Fig. 8. In this rolling operation, profile piece pP will pivot about a generally horizontal axis about corner B, and also turn about a generally vertical axis while arcuate edge E0 guides the assembly along curved path e0". This departure along curved line 60' can best be understood by likening the rolling action of the assembly to that of a skewed frusto-cone. One complete half roll of the assembly is suificient for marking one-half of pattern TP, half patterns being customarily used for saving material and time, it being apparent that a full pattern could be formed by duplicating the procedure. The above procedure can be carried out by an unskilled workman in from 10 to 15 minutes.

The invention detailed above is not limited to the exact structure and method shown or described, but is intended to cover all equivalents, modifications and substitutions within the scope of the following claims.

I claim:

1. The method of laying out a pattern on a flat sheet as a guide for forming a substantially tubular structure of a given body plan wherein two generally opposite ends of said structure are of respectively different cross-sectional profile which comprises; forming edge profiles on a pair of work pieces in accordance with significant representative characteristics of the cross-sectional profiles of said ends, disposing on a fiat plane a flat drawing of the body plan of said structure including lineal representations of the ends of said structure as seen in elevation, superimposing said workpieces on said flat drawing with the edges thereof arranged in spaced relationship with one another over the lineal representations of the ends they respectively represent, and then rolling said workpieces, while so spaced, edgewise along said fiat sheet while marking the lines of contact of said profiled edges with said sheet.

2. The method of laying out a half pattern on a fiat sheet as a guide for forming a transition piece of irregular body plan and with ends of respectively different profile which comprises; forming a pair of flat-surface workpieces representing, in total edge profile, half profiles of said ends wherein each of said workpieces has a straight edge corresponding in length to the corresponding end of a flat plane scale drawing of the body plan of said piece and other edges corresponding to the peripheries of said ends, superimposing said workpieces over a fiat plane scale drawing of said body plan in fixed relationship with one another with the fiat surfaces thereof lying generally perpendicular to the plane of said drawing and with said straight edges respectively juxtaposed over the corresponding ends of said drawing, maintaining said workpieces in said fixed relationship and rolling said other edges along said fiat sheet for defining the pattern of one-half the structure.

3. A layout device comprising an elongate rodlike body, and a pair of profile-piece supporting members, each of said members including a base and a substantially flat plate-like element upstanding therefrom, a pair of slide means on said body slidably adjustable lengthwise therealong, means for holding said slide means in adjusted lengthwise position on said body, pivot means respectively mounting said bases on said slide means for angular adjustment about parallel axes perpendicular with respect to the length of said body, means for holding said bases in angularly adjusted position, and means on each of said upstanding elements for affixing a flat-surface profile piece thereon, the last-named means each including fingers extending outwardly from the flat surface of one of said plate-like elements for supporting an edge of a flat profile piece, and clamping means on the element for clamping the fiat surface of the edge supported profile piece thereagainst.

4. A layout device comprising an elongate rodlike body, a pair of profile-piece supporting members, each of said members comprising a substantially L-shaped piece wherein the stem of the L constitutes a substantially fiat plate-like upstanding element for face engagement with a flat profile piece and wherein the base of the L'constitutes a base for the upstanding element, a pair of slides on said body, pivots rotatably mounting said bases on said slides, means for affixing said slides in lengthwise adjusted positions along saidvbody. means for holding said bases in pivotally adjusted positions with respect to said slides, clamping means on each of said upstanding elements for holding a flat profile piece in face engagement therewith, and foot means on said elements for supporting said device on a fiat-plane surface, said foot means extending downwardly from the base of said elements with their free ends terminating below said body and slides, the foot means on each of said elements being offset in a direction perpendicular to the surface of that element so as to compensate for the thickness of an attached profile piece.

RALPH C. HICKERNELL.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 984,347 Cardell Feb. 14, 1911 1,015,423 Cardell Jan. 23, 1912 1,601,138 Moore Sept. 28, 1926 2,536,359 Eliason Jan. 2, 1951 2,541,808 Cahill et a1 Feb. 13, 1951 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 560,355 Great Britain Mar. 31, 1944 

